Once you hit the decumulation years, a common option new retirees consider is downsizing from a large urban home. Friends of ours on our street are about to put their home up for sale in order to move to a small town an hour away. The difference in the home values will constitute a major nest egg to supplement meagre government pensions and part-time work.

Top reasons to rent during retirement

In the same report, financial planner Ted Rechtshaffen describes the alternative option of selling your home but instead of purchasing a smaller one or moving to a small town, choosing instead to rent. An online link wasn’t immediately available but here are his 10 reasons to rent during retirement:

1. You can’t afford it

2. You don’t want to carry debt

3. You don’t want the responsibility

4. You don’t want to pay any more realty commissions and land transfer taxes

5. You don’t want to be trapped in a home you can’t sell quickly

6. You want to spend more money while you are healthy enough to enjoy it

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One comment on “Two approaches to downsizing”

Is that an “almost Letterman” top ten list? Apparently you and I have polar opposite perspectives. It’s time to wake-up and learn what all the tools of retirement are capable of doing for you. I could go “deep” on this topic, but suffice to say that if it’s at all possible to own your retirement home, renting one isn’t even a good plan “B”.